Hose support for suction cleaners



Oct. 9, 1951 w HOOVER 2,570,346

HOSE SUPPORT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS I Filed June 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inziewzor.

Oct. 9, 1951 H. w. HOOVER HOSE SUPPORT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1945 Patented 'Oct. 9,1951

HOSE SUPPORT FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Herbert W. Hoover, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application June 23, 1945, Serial No. 601,174

2 Claims. (01. 15-327) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to a new and novel means for supporting the dusting tool hose.

Heretofore in the tank type cleaner, the dust-' ing tool hose has been laid onthe floor when the cleaning operation is interrupted and upon resuming cleaning it is necessary for the operator to bend over and lift the dusting tool hose from the floor. In the suction cleaner of the present invention, this inconvenience is eliminated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. Another object is to provide means for supporting the dusting tool hose in an elevated position so that the hose may be grasped without the operator bending over towards the floor. A further object is to provide a support for a dusting tool hose which also acts-as a handle for carrying the cleaner. Another object is to provide; a dusting tool hose support which, when in position'to maintain the hose in elevated position, can be grasped by the operator to move the cleaner to difierent positions on the floor. Other obj cts and advantages of the invention will'become apparent from the following description and drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the suction cleaner showing a bar in dotted line position to provide a cleaner handle, and in full line position to support the dusting tool hose in an elevated position;

Figure 2 is a broken top view of a suction cleaner showing the bar in position to form a carrying handle for the cleaner, and

Figure 3 is a broken side elevation of Figure 2.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a tank cleaner having a cylindrical casing Ill provided with removable end caps II and I2 and inside the casing is an unshown filter and suction creating unit well known in the conventional type of tank cleaner, and the casing I is supported on the floor l3 by a pair of runners 14. A dusting tool hose [5 having a flexible portion [6 and a rigid portion I! has one end 18 removably attached to the inlet of the end cap I I, and the opposite end of the hose is detachably connected to a surface engaging cleaning nozzle l9.

When the suction cleaning unit is in operation, the nozzle I9 is moved along the surface being cleaned and the dirt removed from the surface passes through the hose sections I! and I6 into the interior of the casing l0 wherein the dirt is removed by the unshown filter and the cleaned air is discharged to the atmosphere through the opening 20 in the end cap I2. it is desired to clean a surface by blowing air thereover, the end l8 of the hose I5 is attached to the opening 20 in the end cap 12 and the unshown suction creating unit blows air through the hose [5 and nozzle 19, or other type of suitable nozzle, onto the surface to be cleaned.

Th combined handle and hose support indicated generally at 2| has an' elongated rigid slightly bowed bar 22 having a bifurcated end 23 the arms 24 of which are pivotally mountedon a pin 25 supported in a member 26 mounted onv top of the casing l0 adjacent the end cap l2. A

5,; torsion spring 21 is arranged about the pin 25 ,mounted in the member 26.and is urged by a spring 3| to engage a recess 32 in one of the bifurcated arms 24 to maintain the bar 22 in the hose supporting position shown in full lines in Figure 1.

The opposite end of the bar 22 is substantially U-shaped as indicated at 34 to receive the hose I5 and is provided with a pair of arms 35 which are disposed along opposite sides of a member 36 mounted on top of the casing [0 adjacent the end cap II. The bar 22 is locked in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1- to form a cleaner carrying handle by means of a catch 31 and a plunger 38, the latter being slidably mounted in the member 36 and at all times urged by a spring 39 to engage the catch 31 and lock the bar 22 in its cleaner carrying position. A lever 40 is pivoted at 41 on the member 36 and has a lever arm 42 at all times disposed in an opening 43 of the plunger 38 and has its other lever arm 44 projecting beyond the member 36 and is provided with an enlarged head or pedal 45 which is depressed by the operators foot or hand to unlock the bar 22 whereby the latter is pivoted upward- 1y by the torsion spring 21 to the hose supporting position shown in full lines in Figure 1.

In operation, the cleaner is carried bodily from its place of storage in a closet, or the like, and placed upon the floor l3 by grasping the bar 22 which is in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 to function as a normal cleaner carrying handle. The bar 22 is then moved to its hose supporting position shown in full lines in Figure 1, by stepping on the pedal 45 of the lever 40 to unlock the catch 31, whereupon the torsion spring 21 pivots the bar 22 upwardly to 3 substantially vertical position to receive the hose I5 in the fork 34. The nozzle 19 is then moved over the surface to be cleaned and if it is necessary to temporarily discontinue cleaning, the nozzle i9 is placed upon the supporting surface I3 and the hose I5 is placed in the forked end 34 of the bar 22 and the latter supports the hose in an elevated position with respect to the supporting surface l3. The hose i5 is supported by the bar 22 at such a height that the operator need not bend over to again grasp the hose in order to resume cleaning.

When the bar 22 is in its hose supporting position and it i desired to carry the cleaner bodily or slide it along the supporting surface 13 to another position, the operator merely grasps the bowed portion of the bar 22 and since the latter is pivoted at one end of the cleaner body beyond the center of gravity, the casing It will be locked with respect to the bar 22 due to the spring pressed plunger 30 being disposed in the recess 32 and the member 26' abutting the spaced arms 24 of the bifurcated arm 33 of the bar 22.

To convert the bar 22 from its hose supporting position to a normal cleaner carrying handle, the hose i5 is removed from the fork 34 and the bar 22 pivoted. downwardly to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 and is locked by the plunger 38 engaging the catch 31.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner of the type having a cleaning nozzle connected thereto by a conduit having a manipulating, wand and a. flexible hose, a body supported for movement over a surface by exerting a force through the conduit, a cleaner carrying handle, means pivotally securing one end of said handle to the top of said body for movement to its carrying. handle position alongside the top of said body and to a substantially upright position to support the conduit,

latch mean on said body and the other end of said handle for locking the latter alongside the top of said body'in said cleaner carrying position, means on said other end of said handle for supporting the hose and wand in an elevated position above said body when said handle is moved to it said upright position, and resilient means for holding said handle in said upright position.

2. A suction cleaner according to claim 1 wherein said means at the other end of said handle comprise a substantially U-shaped portion forming the movable terminal end of said handle for supporting the hoseand wand in an elevated position above said body when said handle is moved to its said upright position.

HERBERT W. HOOVER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references? are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,582,664 Bennington Apr. 27, 1926 1,748,853 Squires Feb. 25, 1930 1,936,761 Hoover Nov. 28, 193-3 2,042,387 Cobb May 26, 19-36 2,049,603 Dietenberger Aug. 4, 1936: 2,070,689 Semllie Feb. 16, 1937 2,117,419 Hamri'ck May 17', 1938 2,232,548 McAnerney Feb. 18, 1941 2,313,423 Dodd Mar. 9, 194-3- 2,355,034 Scott Aug. 1, I944- FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 122,956 Great Britain 1919 398,849 Germany-"1 July 15,1924; 

